Dog stays close to home after being rescued off ice

Max the black Labrador dog has been sticking pretty close to home since his close call in an icy ocean inlet, according to the man who pulled him from the water.

By Susan Morse

seacoastonline.com

By Susan Morse

Posted Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:00 AM

By Susan Morse

Posted Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Max the black Labrador dog has been sticking pretty close to home since his close call in an icy ocean inlet, according to the man who pulled him from the water.

The 6-year-old lab fell through the ice in Godfrey Cove in York on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Max was in the water for more than an hour, apparently barking the entire time, said John Gundlah, who was watching the dog for its owner, Tina Buckley of Surf Sounds, off of Rocky Hill Road.

The barking allowed Gundlah and police to find Max when they arrived at the scene about 10 p.m. that night.

"He kept barking," Gundlah said. "Those Labradors are pretty tough. (Residents) heard him barking on the hill. They thought it was coyote."

Dispatcher Jon Gay said York police received a 911 call about 8:48 p.m. that Tuesday reporting a dog barking in the area of Lock Lane. Shortly after, more 911 calls came in about the dog possibly having gone through the ice. Police, fire and an animal control officer were sent to the scene.

Police also called Gundlah, who had reported the dog missing around 3 p.m. Gundlah, who works in construction, was remodeling a bathroom at Buckley's home when Max slipped out of the house.

Gundlah and police officers Scott Slawson and Dan Gallant arrived on Lock Lane about the same time, and they could hear Max barking.

"Their light picked him up," Gundlah said. "He was hanging on with one paw, his face on the ice. I think he just kind of slipped in; he couldn't get back out."

Max was about 15 to 20 feet from shore.

"We went out on snow mix," Gundlah said of the weather conditions. "One officer was next to me. The other officer held onto his feet."

Slawson and Gallant aided Gundlah in getting the dog safely out of the water. The trio used a line to tie themselves together and give them some leverage to pull Max out.

"He was pretty cold, shaking, shaking, shaking," Gundlah said. "I carried him out about a quarter-mile to get to a car."

Gundlah said he felt awful Max got into trouble while in his care. Last month, Max underwent brain surgery, Gundlah said.

Max has been disoriented because of the brain surgery, Buckley said. She was surprised Max barked because since the surgery, she said, he's been on medication and hasn't been barking at all.

"The dog's gone through a lot," she said. "He didn't know how to get home. There's a lot of woods around here."

Buckley said she picked Max out of a litter of four at birth.

"He was my pick of the litter," she said, "because I liked him the best. He was all black and his mom's a golden retriever."